Raison D'être
by 3rdgymbros
Summary: [ Noun ]: A reason or justification for one's existence.
1. Aina Time

A/N: Yes, hello, it is me. I am still alive, and have written yet another new fic, this time featuring Ass Class, my new obsession. Reviews are appreciated! 3

* * *

Kunugigaoka Junior High, grades seven to nine, was a prestigious private school located in Tokyo, Japan. The uniforms were a sickly shade of grey – not my best colors – and I was sweating as I made the endless trek up the mountain, my muscles screaming painfully with every step I took.

My Mother had spent most of yesterday explaining to me that it had been really, _really_ hard to convince the school to take me, especially since the results of my exams hadn't been all that fantastic. As a girl who'd spent half her life living in Italy, my grasp of the Japanese language was pathetic, and embarrassingly, the only papers I'd done well in had been English and the practical exam of Home Economics. In the end, they'd only let me in on the condition that I joined Class 3-E, the worst class, a chance that Mother had frantically snatched at. I imagine a sizable donation had also played a part in my admittance ( the school's library was now being remodeled ), but Mother wouldn't tell me that. All she said was that I had better behave myself, and that I should get along well with my classmates.

After around five minutes of muffled cursing as I dragged myself up a rudimentary gravel path, I arrived at my 'new' classroom. _No wonder that pezzo di merda* of a Principal had been smirking,_ I thought grimly, surveying the place with an air of dissatisfaction. This place was a dump – and that was putting it mildly.

The building was one story, long and low-slung with a wooden clapboard. It was small, and unimpressive-looking, at least when compared to the main school building, sleek and white, with gleaming hallways and trophies. The roof was covered with brown shingles that looked warped and brittle. The yard itself was long and shaggy. It had been a very long time since the grass was last mowed. Apparently, no one cared much about the upkeep of Class 3-E, which would explain why this dilapidated building had been placed far out of reach, out of sight and out of mind.

The 'teacher' had been waiting for me. I'd been briefed about what being in this particular class would entail, of course, but nothing could have prepared me for his appearance. He didn't look much like a teacher ( more like an octopus trying to dress-up as one ), even though he'd dressed the part, in smart black robes and a matching hat. But I refrained from saying anything, and stuck out my hand for him to shake.

"How do you do?" I asked, in lightly-accented Japanese.

"Just fine, Miss Nakano." He replied, a sticky yellow tentacle wrapping around my hand. "You may call me 'Koro-Sensei'."

I muffled a cry of surprise, and he quickly removed his tentacle, gently prodding me over to stand in front of the teacher's desk and introducing me to the class in one smooth movement. Discreetly, I wiped my sticky hand off on the side of my skirt, telling them that I had come from Italy. I hoped that they understood – it would be embarrassing to have to whip out the dictionary. As if he'd understood my worries, however, the teacher started to translate what I'd said into something easier to understand, and immediately, the confusion on the students' faces was replaced by a dawning realization. Everyone started buzzing after that, but their voices seemed friendly, and though I couldn't understand much of what they were saying, it didn't seem to be anything bad, at least.

"You can sit next to Karma. He's the one with the red hair." The octopus motioned with a wave of a tentacle, handing me a thick sheathe of leaflets as he did. "These are for you. Your Japanese could still use some work."

His eyes twinkled when my mouth fell open, and I immediately lapsed back into Italian, the words flowing easier now that I was speaking my native Language.

"How did you – "

"I'm a teacher, Miss Nakano. Italian is relatively easy to speak, once you've gotten the hang of it." He followed me as I walked down the aisle, over to the red-head he'd pointed out. "But you've come at an exciting time. The Mid-Year exams have ended, and the class is heading on a school trip to Kyoto."

"That sounds fun!" I exclaimed, flinging my bag down onto the table, which had been badly vandalized by pens and pocket-knives. "I've never been to Kyoto before!"

"I've put you into Karma's group. There are five other people in there – Shiota Nagisa, Kaede Kayano, Manami Okuda and Yukiko Kanzaki. I'm sure you'll all be great friends! Don't hesitate to ask if you need something!"

With a parting wave, Sensei threw me to the sharks, and I felt sweat prickling the back of my neck as I nervously took a seat beside the red head, who raised his head and smiled. There was something fierce about the gesture, something that reminded me of documentaries I'd watched about lions on the Discovery Channel, the way the big cats would raise their heads and sniff the air for prey. His eyes were golden, luminous, and gleamed in the light that flowed through the windows.

"You should have tried to kill him," He commented lightly, casually flinging a knife at Sensei, who dodged effortlessly. "See? It's more fun that way!"

"Karma!" The blue haired 'girl' ( upon closer inspection, I realized 'she' was a 'he' ) chastised the red-head with a frown etched upon his brow. "She's just gotten to class, she hasn't even settled in yet - "

A girl with luxurious black hair turned, dimples pricking her cheeks, revealing a row of pearly white teeth when she smiled. "Nakano-san, how are you liking Tokyo so far?"

"Please – Call me Aina." I broke off for a minute, my mind struggling to think of what to say next. Everyone in the small group had stopped putting together an itinerary for the trip and was hanging on my every word – sans Karma, who seemed rather disinterested. "Japan's very . . . Different from Italy. The weather is cooler, and it's really modern."

"Also - " I paused to inhale, shoving an carroty colored strand of hair out of my face. " – I can't promise I'll be very good, but I look forward to assassinating Koro-Sensei with you all. Please look after me!"

And such was my first day in Class 3-E.

* * *

*Piece of shit

( The underlined words are meant to be in Italian. )


	2. Kyoto Time

A/N: Chapter 2 is up! I am really into this. Akabane Karma is bae omg.

* * *

"Did you find it, Yukiko?" I asked, watching on with Kayano as the noirette rifled through her school bag.

"I'm certain I put it in my bag, but I just can't find it anywhere," Dispiritedly, she accepted the dictionary-like guide book that Koro-Sensei offered her, zipping up her bag and cradling the huge tome in both hands. "I think it must have fallen out."

"Are we really gonna have to carry those things?" Kayano whispered, voicing my inner thoughts and staring in horror at the large volume, her eyes as round as saucers.

"One should be enough, no?" I asked lightly, patting Koro-Sensei's limp tentacle in consolation. "We'll take turns to carry that one."

He was a sickly shade of grey, as compared to his normal poisonous yellow, and it worried me – though Koro-Sensei's reflexes were as sharp as ever, dodging the knife that I aimed at him. Riding the bullet train had really taken a toll on him. Well, that made two of us, I thought grimly, as our little group left Koro-Sensei at the hotel and proceeded to go 'sight-seeing'. I'd sat with Karma on the train ride to Kyoto, and he'd tortured me endlessly the whole way there. It had been too late to change seats, and Karma's teasing had left me exhausted ( not to mention desperate for the train to stop ).

" _Ne, ne, Aina, want a drink?"_

 _With an innocent smile, Karma offers me his water bottle, and I accept it gratefully, looking up from my notes to take a swig of the contents. I'd been studying for the past one hour, and having a break couldn't hurt. Thanks to Koro-Sensei's notes, I was now able to talk rather fluently with my new classmates, and my Japanese marks had shot up. Despite his monstrous appearance, the guy was an excellent teacher, much better than my last one had been._

" _Ah, thank you Karma – BLEARGH!" My bright smile melts away the instant I taste the noxious liquid, and I choke and gag, but manage to swallow, fire scorching its way down my throat. "What the hell was that stuff?!"_

" _Horse jizz~!"_

"Excuse me?!"

" _That's what it's called on the Internet, but it's actually beer and milk! Tasty, isn't it?" With another smile, his eyes twinkling mischievously, Karma grabs the canister before I can chuck it out the window, snickering at the outrage that is as plain as day on my face. "Want to try some more?"_

" _NO!"_

"Remind me never to sit with that devil again . . ." I muttered under my breath, glowering at said boy, who looked like a cat that had gotten the cream, sauntering along beside me without a care in the world. _"_ _Pezzo di merda . . ._ _"_

"How mean! Calling me a piece of shit!" Feigning hurt, Karma dramatically clasped at his chest, milking it for all he was worth.

"How'd you know what that means?" I queried, blatantly ignoring his antics with a snide roll of my chocolate brown eyes. "Last I checked, you didn't speak Italian."

"I asked Koro-Sensei to teach me Italian! Since you were always muttering some suspicious stuff under your breath, I wanted to know if I was being cursed!"

"I'm not a _witch!_ Geez!"

Looking aside with a pout as Karma started cracking up, my eyes roved over the cobbled walkway, past the red-roofed shops and wooden clapboards. I stared with undisguised interest, pulling out my camera to snap a few pictures – both of the scenery and of my friends, who laughed and posed when they caught me snapping pictures of them. I'd never been to Kyoto before, and even though we were here on business ( of sorts ), I couldn't resist acting like a tourist for a few seconds. Mother would be happy to see the pictures, and she'd be even happier to know that I had settled into life at Class 3E.

"This place is deserted. It's kind of creepy."

Hugging my bag to my chest, I kept pace with Karma. Yukiko, Manami and Kayano were chattering up on ahead, with Nagisa and Sugino in the center. Karma and I brought up the rear, talking in low tones as we strolled down the empty streets. It was a weekday, but even so, there wasn't a single person here, which set me on edge and sent a chill racing down my spine.

"Scared, Aina?" Karma taunted, laughing when I glared. "But they're really into it, huh – Hey, doesn't that say Sayamoto Ryoma?"

"Uh – If you say so." I consulted the Koro-Sensei guidebook, nodding in affirmation. "Yeah, the 1867 Ryoma Assassination took place at this spot."

My Japanese ( and many other things ), as Koro-Sensei was so fond of pointing out, still needed work. Paging through the guidebook ( and wrinkling my nose at the awful octopus drawings, which dotted nearly Every. Single. Page ), I started reading about the route we'd taken. We'd started off near the Sanjusangendo Temple, but apparently, if we kept walking to Ohara, we'd be able to soak up a bit of the city's blood-stained past. ( That smiley octopus at the bottom of the page seemed incredibly inappropriate. )

"Kyoto might look peaceful, but this place has seen so many assassinations. There was the Kinmon Incident, the Severed Head Incident -"

"Severed head Incident?" Nagisa echoed uncertainly, blanching when I pointed out that particular bit of history on the book's page.

" – Which is kind of ironic if you think about it right? Since we might be able to get Koro-Sensei in a place like this - "

"Okay! Next is Yasaka Shrine!" Kayano pumped her fist into the air, nearly giving Manami, who was standing nearby, a black eye.

"Ehh . . . Enough already. Can't we take a break? I want to drink Kyoto's sugary sweet coffee."

At his plea, I twisted round to look at Karma, who hung back slightly, dragging his feet. He'd been so quiet I'd thought he'd been plotting something ( maybe he'd been thinking up new recipes for Karma Juice ), but it turned out that even _Karma_ got tired, and I offered him a sympathetic smile. A grid of torn muscle fibers, swollen and blotchy at the microscopic level, came to mind. If we were lucky, only a single-digit percentage of the cells in our arms, legs and torso would end up like that tomorrow. Sometimes, I wished anatomy class had been less graphic.

"Well . . . I know a good store!" I piped up, pressing my bottle of ( real ) mineral water into Karma's hand. "My older brother said their coffee was the best he'd ever tasted! The owner'll give us a discount, so if you want to take a break, I could take you there."

Karma's eyes lit up ( he must have been really tired ), as though he'd just discovered the lost city of Atlantis. Still, he took a gulp of water before handing it back to me. The cap hadn't been screwed on tightly, and a few droplets landed on my outstretched palm. With a sigh, and a flick of my wrist, I readjusted the cap, taking the chance to take a sip of my drink before I shoved the closed bottle back into my bag. The conversation around me seemed to have stopped, and I looked up with a scowl.

"What?" I demanded, upon feeling three females ogling at me. Manami's eyes were wide, Yukiko seemed rather giggly, and Kayano's face was flushed a pale shade of pink. The boys, however, seemed just as puzzled as I felt, and Karma arched an eyebrow. "Is there something on my face?"

"Well, Aina, wasn't that an -"

Before Kayano could finish her sentence, she broke off abruptly, nearly tripping over her own two feet as she struggled to avoid colliding with the trio of burly students, who had swaggered down the pathway, lecherous smiles plastered on their faces.

Then someone grabbed me from behind.

I started to scream, but a hand clapped over my mouth. It smelled like soap and it was big enough to cover the lower half of my face. I thrashed, but the arms holding me were too strong. _Change of plans._ I clamped my canines onto the hand, which snapped back. Curses echoed around us as I elbowed myself free, crumpling to a sitting position on the floor.

"Ow!" A rough voice cried, right before I was yanked up by the hair, a death grip reestablished around my neck once more.

"Shut up and keep her mouth covered. The boss won't notice if one goes missing."

A strip of dark cloth covered my eyes, and a new pair of hands tied it at the back of my head. I struggled to breathe. There were at least two hands on my arms, dragging me forward, and one on my back, shoving me in the same direction, and one on my mouth, keeping my screams in. Three people. My chest throbbed. I couldn't resist three people on my own.

"Nagisa, Karma, they're taking the girls away! We have to -"

There was a muffled exclamation of pain, and Sugino's voice died out abruptly. Karma and Nagisa were yelling, but there was a sharp smack as something heavy hit the ground. And Karma's voice faded away too. I redoubled my efforts to escape, twisting and writhing frantically as my heart took off like a frightened baby bird's.

"Mmph!"

The sharp squeal of tires and the acrid smell of exhaust fumes told me a car had arrived. The color ( what was left of it anyway ) drained from my face as I realized the implications of what would happen. These punks weren't content with ruining our vacation and picking a fight with our friends. No, we were in for something worse. I thrashed, and their rough skin grated against mine, but I knew it was useless.

"Geez, shut her up already!"

He raised his hand and slapped me harder than I had ever been hit before. Everything went white, and my ear started ringing. My neck ached from the force of his hit, and my jaw screamed painfully.

"Knock her out, idiot! Not rough her up! I want her face intact!"

"You do it yourself, then!"

Before I could respond, a meaty fist collided with the back of my neck, and I landed hard on the ground. The impact jarred my bones, and I tasted iron in the blood trickling into my mouth. I heard Kayano scream just once before I blacked out.


	3. Rescue Time

A/N: Just a warning - this chapter might be a tad triggering, because the main character is nearly sexually assaulted. So. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. Translations at the end of the chapter.

* * *

I opened my eyes.

 _Where am I?_

Confusion, and a dark, unfamiliar room made my mind groggy. I sat up, and tried to stretch, but I soon realized that my limbs wouldn't move. My wrists were sore, and when I tugged harder on my restraints, coarse rope dug into the tender flesh, and I winced.

 _Merda.*_

Panic trammeled through me and I drew in a deep breath, closing my eyes and ordering myself into calmness. What had happened? I flipped back in my mind . . . I remembered walking with my group of classmates, going over several possible routes and places to assassinate Koro-Sensei. I remembered the thugs who had approached us . . .

I'd been kidnapped, then. And I'd ended up here. Wherever 'here' was.

Were Yukiko and Kaede here as well?

"Yukiko? Kaede?" I whispered, trying to slip the rope over my hands, but my bonds stubbornly refused to budge. "Is anyone here?"

There was no reply. After listening for a few minutes, I concluded that I was alone, or whoever was there was either sleeping or very quiet. My wrists were tied together, looped around the wooden armrest of the sofa that I reclined upon. A faint grey outline from the drawn curtains told me that it was late in the evening, but not yet dark. So I'd been here for several hours. I took stock of the room I was in, half pulling myself up on my side with my elbows. Sheets covered chairs and tables, making the place appear ghostly.

 _First things first. Maybe if I can wriggle my cell phone out of my pocket, I can call for help -_

"Hey, she's awake!"

The door eased open, and my eyes widened when I caught my first sight of three high-schoolers who'd kidnapped me. The first was skinny, his arms and legs resembling matchsticks, and a pale pointed face, with narrowed eyes like chips of blue ice. The second one had greasy black hair, in a pudding bowl haircut, with a hooked nose that made him look like an over-grown bird of prey. The third one had slicked his hair back, with a pockmarked face, cratered like the moon's surface, and bulging arms that reminded me of a gorilla.

 _Merda._

"Let me go! I swear I'll kill all of -"

I broke off with a gasp as a heavy weight ( Gorilla boy ) crushed me, forcing the breath out of my lungs. A harsh voice spit ugly, nasty words into my ear, and to my horror, I heard the most terrifying sound of all: The tug of a zipper. Panic gripped me, cutting off my air. A heavy hand covered my mouth and my legs were yanked apart. My scream was muffled by the palm smashed over my lips and I cringed away, my heart pounding so hard I thought it would burst. He was so heavy. So heavy and strong. I couldn't buck him off.

 _Stop it! Get off me. Don't touch me. Oh, God . . . Please don't do that to me. . ._

Where was everyone? Why didn't they come?

When I screamed, more hands covered my mouth, pressing down on me, and squashing my head into the sofa. Hasty fingers ripped my shirt off, scattering buttons in their wake, and hands groped along my chest, squeezing through the lace of my bra. The more I fought, the more excited they became, their cackles filling the small space around us.

A flash of light from the hallway blinded me, followed by the blessed removal of the male's smothering weight.

"Hello, gents ~ It's payback time~"

I'd never been so happy to hear _his_ voice before.

I sucked in a breath of air that sounded akin to a sob, catching sight of Karma shoving my captor across the room and into the wall, denting the drywall. The world dipped and swayed around me, and someone was on the floor. I heard thumps. Kicks. Groans. Someone screamed, an awful high-pitched keening that was soon cut off. And then there was silence.

I blinked a few times and focused as hard as I could on the only face I could see. It was contorted with anger, and my first thought was that Karma looked terrifying. A long strand of hair fell into his face, but he hardly seemed to notice, his expression darkening when he saw my prone form on the sofa. His eyes had never looked more like liquid gold.

"Karma," I croaked, my eyes burning like I desperately wanted to cry. _"Karma."_

"Sorry I'm late," He responded lightly, belying his furious expression. Grabbing his knife, Karma soon made short work of the cord that had restrained my hands. "We had a hard time finding you, but we managed in the end."

"How . . . ?"

"Guidebook. Koro-Sensei really thought of everything – there was even a map telling us about possible hideouts. We split up – Nagisa, Sugino and Okuda went to rescue Kanzaki and Kayano, and I headed here."

Swallowing past my burning throat, I pushed up to a seated position. Pain rushed through my body in sharp bursts, but I tried to ignore it, stifling a groan. It was only until Karma unceremoniously tossed his blazer over my bare torso that I realized how badly I was shivering. I tugged at the edges of the thick black fabric, noting that it smelled like Karma: Some kind of delicious cologne, mingling with the scent of warm skin.

"Thanks," I muttered, buttoning his jacket with trembling hands; it took me at least three tries until I was able to do up the first one, and with a sigh, Karma crouched before me, working his way up, helping me cover up without a word. That simple act of kindness nearly made me start bawling.

My eyes were still smarting, but I didn't want to cry. Not here, not now. Not ever. Instead, I focused on Karma, who'd sat on the ground cross-legged, silently watching me. I noted the dried blood crusted on the back of his shirt. He'd cleaned up some, but he'd missed a spot, and my hand involuntarily stretched out. I wanted to touch the nape of his neck, but stopped when I realized what I was about to do, my hand hovering.

 _What do you have to lose?_

I asked myself. Leaning forwards, I touched my fingers lightly to the back of Karma's neck. His hair tickled the back of my hand – it was as soft as it looked, though some strands of hair had gummy crimson stuck to them – and I stopped when I found the lump. I let my hand linger for a few seconds, guilt twisting my stomach into knots.

"It's nothing, Aina. I'm fine. It's not a big deal."

"Your head . . ." I muttered, letting my hand flop gracelessly back to my side. " . . . They actually managed to land a blow on you?"

"I let my guard down," Karma retorted, eyes blazing with fury – he looked as though he would have wanted another round with those thugs, but not even Karma would beat up an unconscious opponent. ( At least, I hoped he wouldn't; though I found that I wouldn't mind that much. ) "And you look way worse. Have you looked in a mirror recently? 'Cause you look like crap."

A laugh bubbled out of me, but it quickly dissolved into a sob when I remembered the feel of rough, intrusive hands roaming all over my body. My body jolted forward. I pressed my hand to my forehead and rocked slowly back and forth.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. It's _okay._ " Karma rested his hand on the side of my face, his thumb skimming my cheekbone. His fingers were careful, avoiding the bruise on my cheek, tracing the curve of my face. "I'm _here_. No one's going to hurt you. Okay?"

I nodded, swallowing back the lump of waterworks in my throat. Karma wasn't joking – the teasing lilt had vanished from his tone – and his eyes were deadly serious. He meant it, and I felt my shoulders droop. Maybe in relief, or maybe I'd started to finally feel at ease.

"Okay."

* * *

*Shit


	4. Coffee Time

A/N: *weeps at the latest chapter of Ass Class* Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! More comments would be appreciated!

* * *

"Couldn't you sleep?" Karma asked, slipping into the seat beside me.

"That's my line," I said tightly, by way of greeting, staring down at fists so tightly clenched they had turned white. "You're up early."

It was only five fifteen in the morning. On a Saturday. And I was already fully dressed, in a perfectly pressed blouse and pleated skirt. Karma's hair was still wet from the shower, and his tawny eyes were thoughtful as they took me in. He was already dressed, in his customary black blazer and neatly pressed shirt, looking as he did every day in school – though the only thing out of place was that his schoolbag was missing.

"Bad dreams?" He asked, still staring at me.

I gritted my teeth. It wasn't often that I had nightmares, but when I did, they were terrifying. This time, hands had pushed and shoved me to the ground, pinning me in place, and a faceless man had laughed as I'd struggled. It had jolted me awake, a scream wedged painfully, noiselessly against the hollow of my throat.

I hated it.

"You could say that." Looking aside with a sigh, I tried to pretend that I wasn't all that shaken up. " . . . What about you?"

"Ah, Terasaka was snoring loud enough to wake the dead, so I came out here. More peaceful, don't you think?"

The corners of my lips twitched up into a smile, and I clapped a hand over my mouth, muffling my snickers. "How's the head?"

"It's _fine_. Geez, you asked me that yesterday, didn't you? Are you sure you didn't hit _your_ head instead? Koro-Sensei made me put ice on it." Karma pulled a face, and I laughed - aloud this time.

No doubt he would have been perfectly happy letting the bump be, but it seemed as though Koro-Sensei had had other ideas. For all his faults, the octopus was a brilliant teacher who worried about the welfare of his students. Koro-Sensei hadn't even objected when I'd had pulled him aside to ask quietly if I could stay at the hotel while the students went sight-seeing. In fact, he'd seemed understanding enough, nodding without a second thought. I wouldn't forget that in a long time.

"Sorry, sorry." Smiling dryly, I bumped him playfully with my shoulder. "In order to preserve what's left of your sanity, I won't ask anymore."

"My sanity thanks you~"

His response managed to elicit another laugh from me, especially since I didn't think that Karma had had that much of it to begin with. We sat in comfortable silence, saying nothing, simply watching the sun rise up through the gloom in an effort to conquer the sky. Despite the fact that the March day promised to be warm, it was still early and there was a damp chill in the air. One good thing about Japan was that the weather was similar to Italy's – it was almost as though I was still at home.

"Hey, Aina." Karma's voice was hushed, a conspiratorial whisper breaking the silence as his eyes flicked around – an unneeded gesture, since it was still early, and no one was in the neat Japanese garden except for us two. "What say you and I crash this joint?"

I gave Karma a questioning look. " _Seriously?_ When did you start using that word?"

"C'mon, it'll be fun! The train doesn't leave till four!" Toying aimlessly with a anti-sensei knife, Karma returned it to its rightful place up his sleeve, shooting me a lazy, cat-like grin. "And Karasuma-Sensei _did_ say we could explore . . ."

 _I think he meant that we could do it in a_ group, I thought dryly, shaking my head in exasperation. Karma was persistent, I'd give him that much. But when he turned a pair of liquid gold eyes onto me, I caved almost instantly, like a cube of sugar dissolving in a cup of hot tea.

"Fine, fine!" I regretted the words almost as soon as they'd left my mouth. "What do you have in mind? And so help me, if I so much as _hear_ the words _'delinquent fishing'_ coming out of your mouth –"

"I'm wounded that you think so lowly of me!"

Dejection and hurt marred his otherwise handsome face, but it quickly vanished in place of his usual devilish smile as he yanked a picture out of his wallet. I caught a glimpse of the hand-stitched label as it disappeared – Guy Laroche – and belatedly realized that it must have cost someone a pretty penny. I squinted at the picture in the faint light, and just managed to make out a grinning Karma, posing with a terrified schoolgirl ( in her _uniform_ no less ) as she held out her student ID. The male on Karma's right resembled a pumpkin – his face had been beaten so badly that his lips had swollen to twice their normal size, and an array of impressive bruises decorated his skin. He was also holding out his student ID, and I cut Karma an unimpressed look.

"So this is your insurance policy, huh?"

"Hey, if it works . . ." Dusting off his jacket, Karma's eyes sparkled with mischief as he took me in, perched neatly on the stone bench. " . . . You coming, or not?"

He was already heading for the hotel's main door, and I followed behind without another word. Someone had to keep Karma out of trouble after all, and I couldn't very well let him wander around without an escort. The temperature hovered just above freezing, but with the sun, it seemed as though spring was truly on its way. It might have been early, but the streets were already choked with streams of people making their way to work. Some people were dressed in formal suits, while others were dressed more causally in jeans, but none of them were in uniform like us. The diversity of the crowd was almost too much to take in. Karma turned left and strolled to the corner, where we stopped waiting for the lights of the pedestrian crossing to change. I crossed my arms over my chest, weaving in and out of the sea of people, resisting the urge to grab the hem of Karma's blazer so that I wouldn't get left behind.

As if on cue, he turned around to shoot me a taunting smile, "Don't get lost, Aina. It'll be hard to find you in the crowd."

He laughed when I scowled and flipped him off. Low blow, Karma – especially considering the fact that he towered about two heads above me. Before I'd entered the class, Kayano had been the shortest girl there – but her position had been taken by _me_ , who quite frankly, resembled a pixie or an elf. Or a third grader with boobs.

"Non mi rompere i coglioni," I muttered under my breath, but Karma's only reply was another light-hearted laugh.

The green man appeared, and we were off again, walking aimlessly with no destination in mind. I cleared my throat, speaking up in order to be heard over the bustling crowd.

"Where are we going?"

"Oh, just . . . Around."

"So you're completely clueless huh," I spoke, more to myself than to Karma, and rolled my eyes. "Then would you be open to heading for breakfast? There's that café I mentioned yesterday, and you could get your Kyoto coffee . . ."

To which he answered cheerfully, "I'm in!"

He would've continued walking down the street, but I steered him back the way we'd come, careful to keep close to Karma. He was certainly handy to have around – the tall red-head acted as a shield of sorts, blocking me from all the giants that clogged up the sidewalk. Not to mention his awfully convenient 'insurance policy', which I was sure would come in handy if we were stopped by some delinquents.

"Stop. We're here."

Purely on reflex, I reached out to grab Karma's hand, forcing him to jolt to a halt. A battered sign proclaiming the shop's name beckoned us to come inside Paddle and Whisk. The shop sat back from the road and up a set of lopsided concrete steps. The red-bricked walls, with glossy white trim, were accented with wind chimes and floral and holiday flags. Karma gave it a dubious once over, eyes flickering to meet mine.

"You sure this is the right place?"

" _Yes."_ I pointed to the calligraphed sign in the shop window. "Hey, they're hiring. I think you'd make a cute waiter."

Karma snorted and held the door open for me. "Yeah? I think you'd look better in a maid costume, and Okajima would agree."

"Puh-lease." It was my turn to scoff. "That guy has a crap ton of fetishes that are gonna make me lose my appetite if we talk about them now."

Bells of all sizes, from tiny jingle to massive cow, chimed our entrance from hooks on the back of the door. The first thing that enveloped me was the combination of scents: vanilla and cinnamon and warm chocolate with hints of lemon and cherry. As we moved from the front door to the cashier's station, I walked through pockets of aroma, each one a comforting embrace of all that was good in this upside down world.

"Welcome to Paddle and Whisk!" A bubbly sixty-something not much taller than me smiled warmly. She had deep grooves beside her eyes that acted as exclamation points to her welcome. Her face was tan, as if she spent more time outside than in, and her raven colored tresses curled under at the chin. She didn't falter at seeing Karma tower over us, but her tanned complexion blanched when she saw me.

"You – Ah. Voi siete la famiglia del più giovane figlia,sì?" She spoke in a low undertone, lapsing back into Italian as she led us through the brightly lit café.

The place was crowded with people, but all of them were ordering muffins and coffees to go – just the usual morning rush hour in Kyoto. Cozy wooden booths nestled up against each other, each one lined with brightly colored cushions. The walls had been decorated with artwork: prints and canvases, gilt-framed photographs, raffia bows and candle sconces. Piles of skillfully arranged candlesticks with tapers, lacy guest-bathroom fingertip towels, metallic gift bags and fussy wrap were organized by color or occasion. Strangely overgrown, and overfull, the place looked like a dessert buffet of rich delights. For the first time since the _incident_ , I felt myself relaxing into a state of charmed joy.

Deliberately, I matched my pace with hers, hand brushing over my knives just in case. "Sì, come avete . . . ?"

"Un amico. Io sono Alda." She cleared her throat, seemingly nervous, toying with a stray thread on the cuff of her uniform. "Un messaggio. Dal mio capo."

"Posso . . . ?"I held my hand out, expecting a scrap of paper to be pressed into it.

Alda shook her head vigorously, eyes flickering around. "Non qui. Più tardi."

"Capito."I nodded, taking a seat at the booth – Alda had shown us to a quiet part of the café, and the surrounding booths were all void of people. It would ensure that Karma and I wouldn't need to raise our voices while we talked, and that suited me fine.

Relaxing, Alda changed the subject, a mischievous twinkle in her clear brown eyes. Some of the color had also returned to her cheeks _._ "È lui il tuo ragazzo?"

"No, no! Un compagno di classe!" Not for the first time, I wished I were an ostrich, so that I could bury my head in the sand and just avoid the question entirely. "Non abbiamo più alcun tipo di rapporto!"

"Lui è molto bello."She stifled a laugh, instead choosing to hand us each a menu. "Non credi?"

Alda, thankfully, dropped the subject when I shook my head, cheeks glowing pink as the blood rushed to my face. I let my hair fall over my right shoulder, making an auburn curtain between us, and kept my gaze locked on the menus' glossy pictures, as though they were the most interesting things in the world. All so I wouldn't have to meet Karma's eyes.

"I'll give you two a minute to decide," Winking playfully at me, Alda moved away to help out at the counter, effortlessly lapsing back into Japanese for the sake of my 'boyfriend'.

"What was that all about?" Karma asked, sounding amused, even to my ears.

My voice was rough when I answered, like glass shards being tossed around in a blender. "You're the one learning Italian. You tell me."

"Fair enough," Karma's answering smile was as glittering as his eyes. "Something about a message . . . ?"

I grimaced, returning my attention to the menu. The green tea and chocolate cakes and the strawberry shortcake were listed as specials, and there was a whole page dedicated to a variety of waffles and toasts. Honey toast, waffles with maple syrup . . . "Close enough."

"And something about me being handsome?" This time, Karma's smile was wolfish, flashing pearly white teeth, and he propped his chin up on his hand, practically preening.

I groaned, and Alda took that as her cue to return, this time, bearing a notebook and a pencil. She smiled. "Know what you're having?"

After a moment's hesitation, I asked for a cup of honey milk tea and a slice of the green tea and chocolate cake. Karma ordered coconut pancakes and the Kyoto coffee that he'd been dying to drink. Alda moved towards the swinging kitchen doors, scribbling madly on her notepad.

"So, what were you up to last night? Aside from trying to assassinate the octopus, of course."

"Uh . . . Well . . ."

" _Ew, who wants to talk about boys?" Kataoka demanded, wrinkling her nose distastefully._

" _Aw, c'mon! That's what girls talk about on trips like these! Don't be a party pooper!" Rio crossed her arms over her chest with a smile, lowering her voice conspiratorially._

" _I'll start!" Hinano waved her arms in the air enthusiastically, nearly giving Okuda, who was sitting behind her, a black eye. "I have a huge crush on Mr Karasuma!"_

" _Honey, there's no one here that doesn't have a thing for that man." Impatient, Rio shook her head, a frown creasing her pretty face. "I'm talking about boys in our class that we think are hotties."_

" _Aww . . ."_

 _One could practically hear the pout in Hinano's voice, and I stifled a laugh, burying my face in my book, hoping that I wouldn't be singled out. I'd never been on a school trip before, having been home-schooled in Italy, and it was baffling to know that girls actually could spend a whole night talking about the boys ( or men, in Hinano's case ) that they fancied. I just hoped that they wouldn't stay up talking all night – I wanted to catch at least eight hours of sleep._

" _Well, whatever, I'll get the ball rolling." With a flip of her long blonde hair, Rio went on, without even a hint of hesitation. "Isogai and Maehara are half decent, I guess."_

" _Gross. You don't seriously like them, do you?" Kataoka eyed Rio, looking at the blonde as though she'd grown a third leg._

" _Why not? Maehara plays the field though, so I'd never actually go out with him or anything. Isogai's class monitor, so he's, like, on the top of the list."_

" _Oh, I don't know, Karma's the cutest of the bunch if you ask me." At that, Yada, chipped in, and a large number of girls murmured their agreement. "Too bad he's such a psycho!"_

 _And the same bunch of them chorused, "True."_

" _Aw, I don't think he's that bad when you get to know him." It was pretty valiant of Okuda to ( try and ) defend Karma, considering the fact that the girl practically blended in with the furniture._

 _Kayano had been playing a game of 'scissors paper stone' with Kanzaki, but now she spoke up. "Hey, at least he's quiet most of the time."_

" _Yeah, but so are wild animals." Hayami stated tartly, and Okuda laughed nervously._

 _Rio smiled at me, and in that moment, I realized that she looked an awful lot like Karma when she did that. "Who'd you pick for a boyfriend, Aina?"_

" _Er . . . " I blushed, and everyone leaned in closer. " . . . Karma, I guess."_

" _Huh . . ." Rio blinked. I'd apparently caught her off guard. "I'm not judging you or anything, but why?"_

" _He's . . ." I hesitated, biting my bottom lip. I remembered how warm his hand had felt on my cheek, how he'd helped me to button up his blazer, and how comforting his mere presence had been. But I voiced none of that, and shrugged as I flipped a page. " . . . Good to have around, you know? If someone pisses you off, you can just sic Karma on them."_

" _I think the world will end if you two hook up . . ."_

" . . . Just about psychos and wild animals. How 'bout you?" I coughed, trying to hide an embarrassed smile and yet another of my red-hot blushes.

But then Alda strode back with our food. I realized we'd been unconsciously leaning toward each other across the table, because we both straightened up as she approached. She distributed the plates and left without another word. I regarded my cake consideringly. It looked fantastic: A rich confection, with warm chocolate sauce drizzled all over the top and sliced strawberries ringing the porcelain plate. I took a bite. It was delicious.

"Oh, just some male to male bonding time." The first thing Karma tried was his beloved coffee – the top of the milky tan liquid had a heart shape in the foam – and he licked his lips. "We were having fun too, but Koro-Sensei crashed the party."

I was tempted to ask what exactly their version of 'male to male bonding time' consisted of – did they compare dick sizes? Did they brag about all the girls they'd kissed? Did they talk about their crushes? I would've asked, but Alda's soft voice floated into earshot as she tottered by on her heels, bearing a silver tray with a teapot balanced precariously.

"Here." Alda's smile was rather strained, and her face was pale and pinched once more. "Share this with your friends."

She pressed a packet of almond biscotti into my hands. It had been wrapped in pink cellophane paper, and tied with a pearly ribbon. I turned to thank Alda, but before I could, her hand gripped mine in a vise-like grip. Her lips were moving, but I couldn't catch what she said, so I leaned in closer, just in time to make out her harsh whisper. "Masterizzare la nota una volta che lo avete letto."

I tore the packet open when she left, and saw a crumpled piece of paper sitting atop the pile of cookies.

20 8 5 25 11 14 15 23.

And my heart sank.

* * *

 **TRANSLATION**

 **Non mi rompere i coglioni** = Don't f**k with me

 **Voi siete la famiglia del più giovane figlia,sì?** = You are the family's youngest daughter, yes?

 **Un amico. Io sono Alda.** = A friend. I am Alda.

 **Un messaggio. Dal mio capo.** = A message. From my boss.

 **Posso =** Can I

 **Non qui. Più tardi.** = Not here. Later.

 **Capito** = Understood.

 **È lui il tuo ragazzo** = Is he your boyfriend?

 **No, no! Un compagno di classe! Non abbiamo più alcun tipo di rapporto!** = No, no! He is my classmate! We don't have that kind of relationship!

 **Lui è molto bello. Non credi?** = He is very handsome. Don't you think?

 **Masterizzare la nota una volta che lo avete letto** = Burn the message when you have read it.


End file.
